An icon of the borough
Ah, the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a scene-stealer in Enchanted, Kate & Leopold, and The Fantastic Four. It’s where Miranda and Steve finally reunited! If you’ve visited New York, it might linger in your memories. And if you live here, it could be part of your daily commute—or your daily moment of awe.
But do you know about the woman who made it possible? Emily Roebling was an engineer who oversaw the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Her husband, Washington Roebling, was the chief engineer of the project but fell ill during its construction. Enter Emily! Today, September 23, is her birthday.
Discover how the Brooklyn Bridge—and Brooklyn itself—has sparked the imagination of artists past and present. Their visions of the borough’s technological marvels, iconic forms, and bustling industry are on view now in Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200.
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Take a highlights tour of Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200.
There’s more history where that came from
Trace the 23-year journey to transform 85 acres of Brooklyn waterfront into a vibrant park that reconnects New Yorkers with the East River.
From the top: Vera Giger. View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge, 1935. Pen, ink wash, and gouache on paper mounted to paperboard. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Brietta Savoie, 2002.86.1. © Estate of Vera Giger. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Georgia O’Keeffe. Brooklyn Bridge, 1949. Oil on Masonite. Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Mary Childs Draper, 77.11. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); William Thon. Under the Brooklyn Bridge, 1944. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Midtown Galleries, 68.211. © Portland Museum of Art, Maine. All rights reserved. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Theo Hios. Brooklyn Bridge Workers, 1937. Lithograph, on Basingwerk Parchment. Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 1989.88. © Estate of Theo Hios. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Ellsworth Kelly. Brooklyn Bridge Study, 1956. Pencil and ink on paper. Brooklyn Museum, In honor of the Ellsworth Kelly Centennial, Gift of Jack Shear, 2023.40. © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Sandra Fabara aka Lady Pink. Under the Brooklyn Bridge, 1988–92. Screenprint. Brooklyn Museum, Emily Winthrop Miles Fund, 1996.188.23. © Sandra Fabara, aka Lady Pink. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
